Former Coronation Street star Liz Dawn, who played Vera Duckworth in the soap from 1983 to 2008, was rushed to hospital last night after complaining of severe chest pains. The actress is believed to be in a stable condition at a Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester, where she was diagnosed as having suffered from a heart attack, the Sun first reported.

Dawn, 73, starred alongside Bill Tamworth, who sadly passed away last year, as the ever-popular and ever-bickering Duckworths for close to three decades, with the actress leaving Coronation Street in 2008 after being diagnosed with the incurable emphysema. Her husband Donal Ibbertson said that Dawn is recovering from the incident, telling the Sun, "Liz is in hospital. She's had a slight heart attack. She is alright."

Liz dawn
Liz Dawn is said to be recovering from her health scare.

Tributes from her former co-stars have been flooding in since the news broke, with ex-Rovers Return barmaid Sally Lindsay, who played Shelley Unwin in the show, telling the Sun, “She always came across as a battleaxe. But in truth, she is one of the warmest, kindest, most considerate people you could ever meet,” adding, “Stick in there, girl — you’re as tough as nails!”

Sue Nicholls, who plays hairdresser Audrey Roberts, said: “She is a real trouper — she will get through this. She gets as much love and support as we can possibly give.” Whilst Sue’s husband Mark Eden, who also starred in Corrie in the past, said: “The work Liz does for charity is immense. She is a great woman and I’m sure she will pull through.”

Liz Dawn